The Hubris of a GEP student at RJC

Skibi SG

I think she kind of scary leh...calling derek her "darling". Embarassed

charlize SG

No, I don't think that was the reason why her parents told her to shut her blog down. Laughing

kilua SG

Do you know what how disruptive some of the classes in normal stream are? Can turning communist make the classes quieter?

Will turning communist provide better English teachers for neighborhood schools?

Will turning communist provide a full-time counselor to help students chart their future? Or help some students from broken families? ( The divorce rate in Singapore 1 out of 3)

kaister SG

I think when you turn communist, you can just shoot them to death. Problem solved. Rolling Eyes

dragg SG

her father is MP of ang mo kio??

missqi SG

yes.

charlize SG

According to some forumers here, he is. Laughing

kenshin_himura SG

man.. after reading the news of a man who suicide at a MRT station and coming back to this thread... i kinda fear for the future of sg leh...i seriously think she is suffering frm schizophrenia.. man she seriously lack ....maybe she doesn't posses any humility Mad Mad

dracky SG

The Wee girl is too young to know what Derek described in his blog. Afterall, she hasn't entered the workforce and don't understand the corporate life. It's not something that RJC or her father can teach her now. Time will be her teacher. Maybe she'll do well in school and be mediocre in her working life.

Sometimes, when you're successful, as Wee is, you get deluded by your moment of glory and you'd think it's all due to talent or hard work. Actually, luck plays a part. If English and Chinese weren't the criteria to win the PM Book Prize but it's soccer skills and cooking skills, Wee won't be an "elite". There's no reason why an academic elite will do better than a sports elite or culinary elite. Success skills in life are not clear cut.

Derek correctly points out that life is gamble. However, we are a nation of gamblers and we also fancy our chances. There's nothing to be afraid and I won't want to always turn to the PAP to solve our problems. PAP is not as omnipotent as some believe. They can't solve all our problems.

anonymouscoward SG

Solve problems?

Everytime the govt is ready to make some announcement or roll out new initiatives, I pray to God that they do not create more problems for us.

gd4u SG

Lol, she kena suaned by by her 'public apology' ... 2 wrongs doesn't make 1 right, huh ?

John Riemann Soong says
Spelling and grammar be not everything; for there be those who discard the rules of prescriptive grammar and spelling to achieve an effect.

It's the rhetoric that matters.

Shu Min:

"i would like to bring to your attention the fact that the post in question was never meant to be a cogent response to the specific points raised in derek wee's article"

Really! I seemed to have the impression that you would want to have the largest audience possible to d'accord you. That would actually be a good thing (writing with a purpose) if not for the fact that you chose not to stick to your words. Prithee, it did not seem that obvious that you did not think it had some cogency and that you intended it to be a scathing criticism of the blog you attacked. I would think a good rhetorical analysis of your post would reveal otherwise.

Shall I break down your mistakes, comrade?

Firstly, "distress" is terribly euphemistic and impertinent to the matter at hand. We are not distressed as much as we are incensed.

Secondly, you contrasted a noun abstraction with a verb "to vent frustrations" versus "public denouncement" - this is a rhetorical error. A more effective writer would continue the use of the infinitive.

Thirdly, a gross mistake was your misuse (and misconjugation) of the preterite for the verb "arise". "Arise" is a class I strong Germanic verb, do pay attention to the use of Indo-European ablaut. "arose" is a preterite; "arisen" is the past participle you are looking for.

Fourthly, "in irony" is awkward; "ironically" is the word you are looking for. But that is not surprising, considering that you like to hide yourself behind noun abstractions, and also omit grammatical articles to try to achieve this effect. I suggest you read George Orwell's "Politics and the English Language". You desperately need it.

You think you're superior because you think you may have (that's modal subjunctive to you) a superior command of English than most Singaporeans. You think you're a language genius and have the edge - but you can't even distinguish between the preterite and particple Germanic ablauts of English, because you think the preterite "-oh" vowel will give you the strong past tense you are looking for. How can you survive lah?

You talk about irony, but oh the irony!

baby_tiger SG

Why do so many people say that the education system is fair? I think it's not.

If a student is from a good primary school, it is most likely that the student will go to a good secondary school, then a good JC, and finally a good Uni. Am I right?

Therefore, a student's life is generally determined by his or her primary school.

Our education system is such that admission into a good primary school is as follows:

Phase 1: For a child who has a sibling studying in the school of choice.

Phase 2A1: For a child whose parent is a former student of the school and who has joined the alumni association as a member not later than 30 Jun 2005; or whose parent is a member of the School Advisory/Management Committee.

Phase 2A2: For a child whose parent or sibling has studied in the school of choice; or whose parent is a staff member of the school of choice.

Phase 2B: For a child whose parent has joined the school as a parent volunteer not later than 1 July 2005 and has given at least 40 hours of voluntary service to the school by 30 June 2006; or whose parent is a member of the church/clan directly connected with the school; or whose parent is endorsed as an active community leader.

Phase 2C: For a child who is ineligible for or unsuccessful in earlier phases.

(This is taken from MOE's website - http://www.moe.gov.sg/esp/schadm/p1/phases.htm)

In this case, isn't it easier for children with rich parents / parents from some elite group to enter a good primary school (e.g. RGS), and therefore end up with an even better life?

anonymouscoward SG

That is why HDBs in some areas cost more than private homes Smile

It is true to a certain extend that good parentage puts one in a position of competitive advantage and this truth manifest itself even clearer in prestigious schools where through-train systems are available.

However, I would say that a child's upbringing and one's self discipline determines one's success ultimately; he/she has three opportunities to excel and break out of the circle during PSLE, 'O's and 'A's.

Similarly, a rich child who abuse and take his advantages for granted may do badly at any one these three exams and end up with lesser opportunities. But then again, they always have their parent's wealth and connections as a backup and that's worth more than any Standford/Harvard MBA.

Skibi SG

She didn't know that substance is much more important than form? Seems like she's just trying to nit-pick. Razz

nomood SG

No it wouldn't.

you're thinking of bringing the disadvantaged up; communism works the other way round.

it brings the advantaged/elite down. Breaking down of the bourgeois society to form a unified proleteriat class, remember?

Or was your history class too disruptive for you?

nomood SG

If you tell me that the rich take simpler and easier tests, or that they have a quota set aside for them in uni (a la bumiputra policies) that would be unfair. The top president scholar from my cohort took the RGS/RJC route, but her dad was a taxi driver. She was not unlike any other street punks i know; smoking drinking etc, but she also knew how to work within the system.

there is nothing that is preventing the disadvantaged from achieving the exact same success.

nomood SG

Laughing vs Rolling Eyes vs Confused

I-like-flings(m) SG

Laughing

OWNED!!!!!! NOOB!!!!!

I-like-flings(m) SG

it's fair what.. the rich stay rich and the poor stay poor.. fair what Mr. Green

GHoST_18 SG

so what went wrong...?

our society...?

or the educational system...?

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